You Taught Him
by Bekwashere
Summary: Set just after Season 6. God has diffused Castiel, and Sam no longer remembers Hell. When Dean is shut down by Bobby and has a discussion with Sam, he is forced to reconsider his views on Castiel's actions. Destiel. First fic.
1. Chapter 1

It was a little unexpected, like just about all the events of the past few hours. Sammy waking up and not remembering Hell, his mind apparently roping off that section for the sake of its own sanity, and God taking charge against Castiel's sudden power that, it seemed, couldn't rival His own. He had just diffused him or something, and yet he was still at least mostly angel. Didn't matter anyway, he was gone now.

Okay, that was only two events...but they were pretty ginormous, right?

Over those hours, Dean had dedicated himself to doing everything he could for Sam, along with Bobby, but it was clear that Sam would need to get used to a life with a big black hole in it that he couldn't remember. They were currently in Bobby's living room, piles of books and papers stacked around the walls as usual. And as Dean asked for the two hundred and seven millionth time that day, "You sure you're okay?" to his brother, he heard a flapping sound behind him, all too familiar, and spun around. Castiel was standing there.

Bobby immediately stood up, as did Sam, and Dean found himself bracing as though about to be attacked. None of them said a word. There was an ocean of awful, mistrustful silence rippling between the two parties.

"Dean," Castiel said tensely, and after a moment added "Sam. Bobby," as though it was a polite afterthought. He watched the oldest Winchester as though not sure what to say, rocking back and forth slightly.

"What," Dean deliberately paused, hearing how thick with disdain his voice was, "the fuck," he narrowed his eyes and saw Cas wince slightly, "are you doing here?"

Cas's gaze lowered with more shame than Dean thought could possibly be expressed. He didn't reply.

"I asked you a question," Dean growled. "Answer or disappear."

"I...hoped I could...help..."

"How?" Dean cut him off, and Cas's eyes snapped to Dean's, clearly swallowing with uncertainty.

"I...I just..."

"Well don't," Dean snapped.

Dean didn't stand and wait for Cas to disappear, he expected the angel to be gone by the time he blinked once. Not the case; Cas stood his ground and if Dean hadn't felt so angry he might've been impressed.

"I am not going to leave, if that is wait you're waiting for," Castiel said.

"Then what, Cas? What the Hell do you want?" Dean asked loudly.

"I wanted to explain my actions in a way you might understand." Cas said, raising his chin defiantly. "And I wanted to offer my assistance in whatever way you needed it. But since you-"

"Don't bother!" Dean yelled.

"Look, Cas," Sam said, and Dean turned to his brother, shocked by the general lack of anger in his voice. Sam was looking at Cas directly, holding the angel's gaze. "I think it might be best if we do this later. We're all happy to listen, but not now. Tomorrow, maybe."

And then Cas was gone.

"Sam! What the Hell?" Dean spread his arms angrily in his demand for a damn good answer.

"I think maybe you're judging him a little too much, that's all," Sam said, not defensive in the least.

Dean stared at him.

"I think Sam's right, Dean," Bobby said fairly. "If you just think for a sec-"

"He betrayed us! He was our friend!"

"He _is_ our friend," Sam said .

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be so sure."

"Now hold on just a damn minute!" Bobby said, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm not saying Cas did the best thing, but he did what he thought was right."

"What is the matter with you two?" Dean asked. "Since when are you on his side?"

"We are all on the same side, boy, or had you forgotten that?" Bobby snapped. "And somethin' else you shouldn't forget is that you and Sam worked with Crowley as well!"

In his peripheral vision Dean saw Sam look down at the floor for a moment.

"Ya can't judge Cas for doin' the same, especially since he was trying to get more than one soul back! He was trying to keep the world from its Apocalypse, incase you'd forgotten."

"Bobby, there HAD to have been another way..." Dean was determined not to lose this argument.

"Whether there was or not doesn't matter! He was trying to save us all, and it was the first time he wasn't being ordered around by his Dad or by you!" Bobby pointed at Dean and he felt himself taken aback. He didn't say anything.

"And if you wouldn't mind me saying," Bobbily said a little audaciously, "Since you're the one who taught him right from wrong I wouldn't go around criticising everything he does."

"Teach him...? I did NOT..." Dean was caught unawares by that statement, and he shut his mouth quickly after babbling for a few seconds.

"I'm not the one to talk about it with, anyhow," Bobby said, waving him away. "I'm goin' to bed, don't you two idjits go breakin' anything."


	2. Chapter 2

When Sam and Dean were left alone in the room, Dean turned accusingly on his brother, who felt awful.

Sam gave Dean an exasperated look. Bitch face #36.

"Oh, don't gimme that," Dean sneered, flopping down on a chair.

Bobby had shell-shocked Dean, Sam knew; he wasn't acting angry anymore.

"Could've used some support, dude," Dean muttered.

"Bobby's right, man," Sam said. "Cas is still learning about right versus wrong. I'm still pissed with him, don't get me wrong. I mean, we DID work with Crowley, and we DID sort of automatically decide he was evil before hearing his side of the story."

"Yeah, well, he was."

"Was he? Honestly?" Sam raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't think it had to do with all the souls, all the power? Or, even, an actual desire to do a better job as God?"

"Is that true, do you think?" Dean asked abruptly, forehead creased. "What Bobby said about me teaching him that stuff?"

Sam didn't even hesitate before nodding, "Yeah. I do."

"How? I mean...I didn't..."

"You did, Dean. C'mon, really?" At Dean's blank look, Sam rolled his eyes and continued, "We, you, made him see that freedom matters more than whatever twisted moral the angels have going for them. Obedience and all that. He was fighting for that."

Dean looked, his brow furrowed, at the floor. Sam regarded his brother curiously. Something was up. "Dude? You okay?"

"I'm fine, I just...for some stupid reason I never really thought about the impact we had on the guy," he sounded like he wasn't quite all there.

"He Fell for our cause, didn't that tell you something?" Sam asked, his tone perhaps a little patronising. At Dean's look, he sighed and sat down beside him. "You know what, man, I've been just as bad. I mean, Cas has done everything we ever asked. He took you outta Hell, he took ME outta Hell, even if he forgot the soul part...we'll talk to him tomorrow."

Dean still didn't look right.

"Dean? You know, if you don't speak I'm gonna start throwin' salt at you, you're acting weird."

Dean gave a small, weak smile, but no usual smart-assed response came from his mouth.

"I'll be fine, Sammy."

And then, looking at the exact way Dean's brow was furrowed, the precise fashion in which his hands were clasped and his jaw grinding, he knew just what was going on. He hoped Dean didn't hear his intake of breath.

This was it, wasn't it? Could this be Dean, finally, after all this time, coming to terms with...

"Hey," Sam said gently, reaching out to place a hand on his brother's shoulder. Dean looked up, estranged by this odd show of affection.

"Everything will work out fine between you and Cas."

Dean swallowed and looked back at Sam. "Sam, what're you talking about?" he asked nervously.

Sam raised his eyebrows knowingly, and in response, Dean glared persistently.

"I'll put it this way," he said with a chuckle, "You and Castiel share a more profound bond."

Knowing Dean needed to be left alone for a while, Sam clapped him on the shoulder as he stood up, then left.


	3. Chapter 3

"_You misunderstand me, I'm not how you think...I'm not a 'hammer' as you say. I have questions, I have doubts. I don't know what is right and wrong anymore." _And Castiel still was. Why had Dean just turned against him without thinking of that?

"_If there's anything worth dying for, this is it." _Dean had convinced Castiel to fight against everything he ever knew...

"_Don't ever change." _Maybe Dean had been the only one to ever appreciate Cas that way...

"_I would give anything not have you do this." _And Cas had appreciated what Dean had been through in Hell, seen how it would tear him up to work on Alistair. No one else seemed to have understood, because they couldn't.

"_We've been through much together, you and I." _

They had.

It was hours of these hesitant and gnawing thoughts before Dean could muster up enough of what he wanted to say before lowering his head and murmuring "Cas, man. I know I blew up at you earlier and all, but I wanna talk to you. If that's okay."

Dean peeked up to see Cas standing right there in front of him.

"Oh, Cas," Dean stood up immediately, raking a hand through his hair, completely relived. "I'm...I'm..." He felt exhausted as he gazed down into the angel's face, finding enormous comfort in the familiarity of that expression that was so very uniquely Cas. So much pain, betrayal, dishonesty...what the Hell was Dean going to say?

"Hello, Dean," Cas sounded a bit tightly strung, and Dean swallowed. Was Cas mad at him? Even if he was, he had still shown up, just like practically every other time Dean had asked him to. Cas had told him he was worthy to be saved after all the things he had done in Hell, and then Cas had made one mistake and Dean went haywire on him.

"I'm sorry...I..."

"You what? Please try to make more sense." Cas seemed thrown off by the way Dean was acting.

The aforementioned thoughts spun through his head frantically, and then that ridiculous, perfect logic bared itself like a heavenly light. The only thing he could do to show Cas that he was sorry, and thankyou for everything (Hell, there was so much) and please don't leave again.

So, half a moment later, he had stepped forward, gripped that overlarge trenchcoat and leaned down to press his lips to Castiel's in a desperate, ultimate attempt to prove it all. There was no moment of regret or panic, no hesitation. No fear. When Dean's mouth came into contact with Castiel's, something flared high and hard in his stomach; sort of a combination of 'Shit, this is really happening, how fucking gay' and 'Shit, he's so beautiful' and 'Shit, I hope he doesn't disappear'.

Cas squeaked in surprise, his hands lifting as though in surrender to an enemy and eyes quickly opening right up, but Dean slowly placed his hands on his friend's shoulders in reassurance, squeezing slightly. It was only him, after all. Only Dean, who had mistrusted, supported, underestimated, cared for, insulted, defended and loved Castiel. Who had changed everything Cas believed in, made him Fall...why had he never understood how significant that was?

"It's okay, Cas," he murmured against the angels mouth, pressing hard. "Just me. Just me."

Then Castiel moved his mouth in response, with the same slow, hard desperation, nodding slightly.

"Just you," he murmured back in a thoughtful sort of tone, and Dean felt the mixed rush of tenderness and heat flare in his veins. Yes, this was right, this had surely been a long time coming. He felt a flush creeping up his neck and onto his face as Cas placed his hands on Dean's waist. He moved one hand up to the back of the angel's head, gripping at his hair. Cas, sucking in a breath through his nose, urgently grabbed both sides of Dean's head. It was a little awkward, but that wasn't important. Neither, Dean told himself firmly, was the fact that Cas was in a guy's form. That became harder to ignore as stubble brushed at Dean's mouth, but he found to his own surprise that he didn't mind.

The kiss ended, but Dean pressed his nose against the angel's own, mouth still open and breath rushing through in short gusts, wanting to keep the feeling of intimacy between them. He needed the reassurance. Castiel did not object, in fact he placed one hand on the hunter's cheek and sighed, the other hand running down his torso, leaving a trail of hot tingles after his fingers. Dean closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel warm, contented that Cas was finally this close and with neither of them pushing away. His lips felt dry and they were almost pounding. One hand rested now at Castiel's back as Dean forced himself with a swallow to ignore the incredible arousal bubbling in his lower stomach and his groin. Later, if ever. Not now.

"Dean," Castiel said in an almost-whisper, moving his cheek against Dean's and pressing closer. His name sounded so good coming from Cas's mouth, sending a burst of warmth through Dean's chest as he replied, "Cas..."

Cas seemed intent on slowly exploring the hunter's face, even tracing his fingers along the prickled jaw and up along his hairline with a kind of yearning and amazed curiosity, and when Dean opened his eyes Cas gazed into them as if he was studying the dozens of coloured pigments in them.

Dean wasn't one to show feelings very often, which Sam would testify to high Heaven, but so many had been there for so long that he had just pushed down...and now it was hard to stop them all exploding out at once. It was stupid and girly. His hands were shaking and he was still breathing too hard. Cas took them gently and squeezed. "I feel as if...for so long...and we...I thought..." Cas faltered with a small swallow, head shaking uneasily back and forth, a very human tear running down his face as he clutched at Dean's shirt. Cas brushed his hand against it in alarm; he had never had that happen before. It was a sign of relief, release, and of love that he had never had to understand until now. "I sound like some kind of infant," he said irritably with a sniff. "Forgive me," he wiped at his nose with his sleeve.

"Hey, it's alright. We're alright. Shouldn't have been so angry." Dean brought a hand up to cup one side of Cas' face, and the angel visibly relaxed.

"I should've been more honest." Cas' eyes flicked back up to his, head still slightly lowered.

"It's in the past. Forget it." Dean stroked slightly with his thumb, taking a gentle hold of Cas' other arm with a slight squeeze.

"No, really, I owe it to-"

"Forget it."


End file.
